Nathaniel Ratliff & The Night Sweats

In the organizer's words:

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats on tour in Germany this summer

Presented by Classic Rock, kulturnews, MusikBlog.de and curt

Support: William The Conqueror

When Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats are on stage, they literally explode with deep, primal and ecstatic soulfulness. The band's albums - most recently the EP "What If I" was released last year - bear the logo of the legendary record label Stax, and rightly so, as the gifted multi-instrumentalist honors the legacy of the legendary Memphis label while boldly venturing into new territory. The breathtaking songs, sometimes performed with full force, sometimes delicately and quietly, are not only heard. The audience experiences them when the man from St. Louis sings, whispers, screams and cries. In these great moments, it seems as if Rateliff has absorbed the music of soul heroes such as Otis Redding or Sam & Dave, in others he reminds us of the young Bob Dylan. Then you hear his second side, the folk singer who began his career solo and with just a guitar in his hand. The Night Sweats play their rough and deep grooves congenially. The guitar howls and creaks, the organ burrows its way through the harmonies and the horns set the sharp accents. And then there he is again, the sensitive, introspective guy, bravely telling it like it is, breaking through his reticence to reveal often harsh truths about the life he's lived, the people he's hurt and the despair he's struggled with. "My songs are about the struggles I've had in my life. Drinking too much, all that crap," he said candidly, "and then the relationships we all have. I'm lousy in my personal life, so it's fun to write songs where I say the things I've never been able to say very honestly. Because it's terrible to say something to someone that you know is going to hurt their feelings. I've always been someone who said, 'Oh, I'll just eat this, that's fine.'" It's just as well that Rateliff has been expressing his feelings in his songs for a long time and that he has found a number of musicians to support him. And, of course, that he regularly does this live in front of an audience. This summer, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats will finally be back on tour with us.